The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has criticized Rabiu Kwankwaso for labeling members of the Kwankwassiya Movement who recently defected to the APC as betrayers, insisting that Kwankwaso himself is the true betrayer.

This comes after Kwankwaso, a former Kano State governor and national leader of the Kwankwassiya Movement, condemned some prominent NNPP members in Kano State who defected to the APC, calling their actions a betrayal of trust.

Kwankwaso made these comments on Friday evening at his Miller Road residence in Kano, during a visit from some members of the Kwankwassiya Movement from Takai Local Government Area of the state.

Among the defectors was Senator Abdulrahman Kawu, who represents Kano South Senatorial District in the National Assembly, along with several other federal lawmakers from the state.

In a statement issued on Monday in Lagos, the NNPP National Chairman, Dr. Agbo Major, asserted that Kwankwaso does not have the authority to speak on behalf of the party.

“Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso have been expelled from NNPP and, together with his followers, led by Dr Ahmed Ajuji,” he said.

Major explained that the Kwankwasiyya movement is not a political party, but rather a group that joined the NNPP following the 2023 presidential elections, during which their leader became the party’s presidential candidate.

Major expressed amusement at Kwankwaso's accusation, pointing out that it was ironic for him to label members of the movement who joined the APC as betrayers of the party.

“The NNPP has long severed its Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Kwankwaso and his Kwankwasia movement after the presidential elections in 2023; hence, members of the movement, as Nigerian citizens, are legally free to join any political party of their choice.

“The same Kwankwaso who betrayed the trust reposed in him by the NNPP when he tried to hijack the party is the one calling others betrayers.

“Nigerians have the constitutional right to join and belong to any political party of their choice.

Therefore, Kwankwaso, who have long lost control of his Kwankwasiya movement, cannot stop his members from belonging to the APC and/or any other political party in Nigeria.

“Kwankwaso lost all respect from his followers when he tried to bite the fingers that gave him the presidential ticket on trust without any financial obligations.

“Kwankwaso has long been expelled from the NNPP and should either register his own party or look for another political platform to hijack.

“His members defecting to the APC simply shows that he has also lost control of the movement, just like he lost his planned hijack of the NNPP, registered in 2002 before his entrance in 2023.

“Kwankwaso’s political career ended with his expulsion from the NNPP and the consequent defection of his followers,” Major said.

An Abuja Federal High Court recently dismissed a lawsuit filed by Kwankwaso's supporters, challenging the legitimacy of the NNPP's current leadership under founder Dr. Boniface Aniebonam and national chairman Dr. Agbo Major.

The suit, filed by Ajuji and 20 others, sought to invalidate the authority of the NNPP's Board of Trustees (BoT) and its executive members, including Mr. Tony Christopher Obioha (National Secretary), Dr. Oginni Olaposi (National Secretary), and Chief Felix Chukwurah (Deputy National Chairman).

The plaintiffs had requested the court to restrain these officials from holding meetings, conducting congresses, or presiding over the party's national convention, citing their expulsion from the NNPP.

However, Justice M.A. Hassan ruled that the court had no jurisdiction to hear the case, emphasizing that internal party matters, such as leadership and membership disputes, are outside the scope of judicial intervention.

“Kwankwaso should take advantage of Sen. Abdullah Ganduje’s large heart to help him return to the APC family as an ordinary member of the party rather than criticise defectors to the party,” he said.